News

  • Senate To Hold Hearings On Drug Prices

    On Tuesday, new and veteran lawmakers in the House and Senate met on Capitol Hill for the swearing in of the 115th Congress. As expected, Congressman Paul Ryan (WI-1) was re-elected to the Speaker position with 239 votes in the House, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) was re-elected to the House Minority Leader position with 189 votes. .GOP offers Super-Committee concession while seniors see increased poverty levels. .Annual vaccinations. While you don't want to skip annual exams and vaccines, you might be surprised to learn that many recommended vaccines are licensed to be effective for three years or more. However, all pets are different and some non-core vaccines may need to be given more frequently. State and local laws can affect how frequently some vaccines are given. Ask for a copy of your pet's vaccination records, if you don't already have them. Then check around for low-cost spay & neuter clinics that also offer discounted vaccinations. To learn more about discounted vaccines, contact your local SPCA, animal shelter, or local pet supply stores to learn what may be scheduled in your area. … Continued

  • Raising Eligibility Age Medicare Affect Medicares Financing

    Throughout the hearing, the witnesses stressed the importance of acting quickly, before reform options run out and seniors are left with a 23% benefit cut. Despite their pleas, however, it doesn't seem like Congress will be ready to compromise on Social Security reform any time soon. .Switching Drug Plans Can Save Big Money — Here's Proof .For this reason, TSCL announced its support for the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act back in March, and our legislative team has been busy advocating for it on Capitol Hill. The bill's sponsors expect the House Ways and Means Committee to take it up before the end of the year, and they are hopeful that both chambers will pass it shortly thereafter. For updates, visit and, on our new Facebook page, at www.Facebook.com/SeniorsLeague. … Continued

Just as today, in 1977 the federal budget was in deficit, and Social Security was facing a funding crisis. The new benefit formula changes first affected seniors who turned 62 in 1979 just two years later. Seniors born from 1917 through 1926 wound up receiving lower benefits than other retirees with almost identical work and earnings records. Although reductions of about 10 percent for average earners were expected at the time of the changes, Notch babies were often affected by disparities of 20 percent or more, because a phase-in benefit formula failed. .Totalization Agreement with Mexico – Preventing an unnecessary and unspecified drain on the Social Security Trust Fund. .Congressional leaders have already given up on the idea of fully funding the government for the entire 2022 fiscal year and instead the current plan is to pass a "continuing resolution" (CR) that will fund the government at current levels until December The idea is to give them more time to craft the legislation needed to fully fund the new fiscal year. .This legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to update its website to include a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. It would have to work with media outlets and law enforcement to distribute the information. The FTC also would be required to send Congress a report with policy recommendations to prevent scams targeting older individuals, especially during national emergencies. .To help protect the buying power of benefits, TSCL supports legislation that would provide a modest boost in benefits, base COLAs on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) and guarantee a COLA no lower than 3 percent. To learn more, visit . .Key Bill Gains Support ."Anything that puts you in contact with more people is going to increase your risk," said Cindy Prins, a clinical associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. "If you compare it to just staying at home and quick trips to the grocery store, you'd have to put it above" that level of risk. .Budgeting for changes in health as we age is a challenge. What we can do, though, is give you some pointers in estimating your current costs and setting a healthcare cost budget. .On November 21, 2017 The Senior Citizens League delivered advocacy letters to caution members of Congress to NOT repeal the medical expense tax deduction. The letters were delivered to Majority and Minority members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Taxes, in addition to a few other key Congressional members. Learn which members are on the Ways and Means Sub-committee on taxes here.